Tourists warned off flu areas

UK tourists have been warned against travel to areas with swine flu by the EU Health Commissioner.


The advice comes after an emergency meeting of European health ministers in response to the outbreak in Mexico.

The Department of Health (DoH) has said surveillance arrangements are being "stepped up" in the UK ready for a possible outbreak.

About 103 people in Mexico are thought to have died after contracting it, but there have been no deaths elsewhere.

EU Health Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou said: "I'd try to avoid non-essential travel to the areas which are reported to be in the centre of the cluster in order to minimise the personal risk and to reduce the potential risk to spread the infection to other people."

Officials said the UK should expect to see an outbreak of the virus.

'Well-prepared'

There have also been 20 cases of swine flu reported in the US and six in Canada, and suspected cases in New Zealand, France, Spain, Israel and Australia.

However, no-one outside of Mexico has yet died, leading to suggestions that the severity of the cases there may be due to the strain mixing with a second unrelated virus circulating in the community.

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Professor Pennington: "The UK is better prepared than ever before"

Swine flu is usually found in pigs and contracted only by people in contact with the animals.

The DoH said they could not yet give details of what the "stepped up" surveillance arrangements were and that meetings were ongoing.

Professor Hugh Pennington, a microbiologist who has advised the government on other public health issues, said the country was well-prepared.

He told the BBC that all civil contingency plans were in place, health authorities were ready and well-stocked with Tamiflu anti-flu medicine.

He said: "We are better-prepared than we have ever been before, so I think that's some reassurance for the public."

Professor Steve Field is the chairman of the Royal College of GPs, which heads up research into flu in the UK.

He says the coming days will be crucial in assessing the scale of the threat to the UK if people do contract swine flu.

He said: "We'll know a lot more... tomorrow and by the end of the week.


SWINE FLU
Swine flu is a respiratory disease thought to spread through coughing and sneezing
Symptoms mimic those of normal flu - but in Mexico people are beginning to die
Good hygiene like using a tissue and washing hands thoroughly can help reduce transmission


"What we've got to try and do is stop people who've come in from Mexico, places where this is prevalent, going to their GPs and spreading it amongst vulnerable people. That's what's really important this week."

Britons arriving back in the UK from Mexico said they were questioned by a doctor at Gatwick airport about possible flu symptoms before leaving the aircraft.

But travellers returning to Manchester Airport said they had not been questioned.

Meanwhile, a man from Northamptonshire who was told to stay in his home after returning from Mexico with flu-like symptoms, has been given the all-clear by the Health Protection Agency.

Scottish Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said two patients in Airdrie who visited Mexico had both displayed mild flu-like symptoms but there was no cause for concern.

In trading on the London stock market, shares in British Airways were down 7.4% and Thomas Cook fell 4.3% on fears over the economic impact of the swine flu outbreak.

A Department of Health spokeswoman said the outbreak was "unusual and of concern".

But she added: "It is too early to make a complete assessment of the health implications of this new virus or if it could represent the appearance of a potential pandemic strain of influenza virus."